Family Portrait
by OhtarIstar666
Summary: Regulus on his family to P!NK'S song "Family Portrait


Mama, please stop cryin'

I can't stand the sound

Your pain is painful and it's

Tearing me down

He's not worth your tears. He hates this family. He hates you. He turned his back on this family long ago. Yet every time he does something that takes him farther away from what this family stands for, you cry. He isn't worth it, not your tears nor your screams. He is going to be out of here as soon as he can. Give up on him. I still love you.

I hear glasses breaking

As I sit up in my bed

I told God you didn't mean

Those nasty things you said

You fight about _power_

And me and my _father_

This I come home to

This is my shelter

You fought so loud last night that it shook the house. I could hear you up two flights of stairs and half a dozen closed doors. I heard what he called you, a dried up old bitch who never should have been a mother. I heard what he called Father, an incompetent doddering fool who wouldn't notice if the world blew up as long as he had his books. I heard what you called me, a barely-there shadow of him and he tried to defend me, but you would have nothing to do with it. You think I'm too weak to join the Cause, that he, despite his anti-family tendencies would be a proper addition to the Dark Lord's forces. You, my mother, rejected me, but I still love you.

It ain't easy growing up in WWIII

Never knowing what love could be

You'll see, I don't want love to destroy me

Like it's done my family

This isn't the war. It's simply a scrimmage at the beginnings of the next Great War. Those little arguments that end it doors slamming and silent hours are nothing compared to what will come. There is so much hate in this house. Long ago, I thought that hate came from nowhere, that it just magically appeared. Now I realized that hate comes from love. The reason that you hate him so much is because loved, love, him. That's the reason why you wouldn't hate me. I don't evoke that much emotion from you. Though I doubt you return the feeling, I still love you.

Can we work it out

Can we be a family

I promise I'll be better

Mommy, I'll do anything

Can we work it out

Can we be a family

_Brother_, please don't leave

We should be a family. We were a family once upon a time. I joked with my brother, got hugged by my mother, and noticed by my father. Now, my father only comes out of his study for food. My mother is too busy threatening my brother for her to pay any attention to me. My dear, dear brother is too busy making plans to bust out of here to spend any time acknowledging my presence. He at least has a reason. Brother, please don't go. Stay here. I'm sure Mother will forgive you and love you again. Don't leave alone here. I still love you.

_Brother_, please stop yelling

I can't stand the sound

Make mama stop cryin'

'Cause I need you around

My mama she love you

No matter what she says is true

I know that she hurts you

But remember I love you, too

Your fight last night shook the house. I could hear it up two flights of stairs and half a dozen closed doors. I heard what you called Mother and Father. I heard how you tried to defend me. I heard what she called you, an ungrateful brat who was a waste of food and deserved being a blood traitor. She doesn't mean it. She loves you a lot more than she loves me. She wants you to love her and you just want to leave. Just remember, I still love you.

I ran away today, ran from the noise

Ran away, ran away

Don't wanna go back to that place

But don't have know choice anyway

I ran away yesterday. I got as far as that little muggle grocery store before I realized that I had no money and no plan and skills. I was lost. I realized that I don't know how to function outside of our little social group. I can tell you the names of the fifty most prominent families in our world, the head of that family, any marriageable daughters, any sons I might come in contact with, and their blood status. I can tell you the entire history of muggle hunting, any and all bills passed that either allow or prevent it, and their loopholes. I can tell you the names and origins of every major dark curse and have practiced most of them. What I can't tell you is how to cross the street without getting hit by a car or how to buy an apple at the local market. I am an over-bred priss that has no practical knowledge. I am useless and dear family, you made me that way, but I still love you.

It ain't easy growing up in WWIII

Never knowing what love could be

You'll see, I don't want love to destroy me

Like it's done my family

For such nasty people, you love your causes. Father, you love your books and ancient languages far more than you care about this family. You are so involved with the past that you barely notice the present and completely ignore the future. Can't you see what is happening to his family? It's falling apart around you and yet you do nothing. Mother, you love your pride and blood more than you love your children and you love him, the son who spites you at every turn, more that you love me, the boy who listens and loves you. You just want perfect little pureblood muggle-hating sons who will marry perfect little pureblood muggle-hating girls and have perfect little pureblood muggle-hating children. We are simply vessels to continue the line, one willing, the other fighting every step. Guess you actually care about. Not me. Brother, you love your blood traitor friends and Order of the Phoenix, don't think I don't know about that, more than you love your family. Remember that old saying, "Blood is thicker that water?" You're the contradiction. Your friends, your new brothers are not your blood, with the expectation of Potter since we are all interbred, are not your blood. I am. Our parents are. Our cousins are. But you don't care. You three are all my family and I just want to let you know, despite everything else, I still love you.

In our family portrait

We look pretty happy

Let's play pretend, let's act like it

Comes naturally

I don't wanna split the holidays

I don't want two _families_

I don't want a _blood traitor_ anyway

I don't want my _brother _to have to change _his_ last name

Over that fire place hangs our family portrait. We look like a family. We haven't been a family in a long time. The fighting drove us to what we do best. Father, you and I are hiders. We curled up in our respective rooms and wait out the storm. Mother, you and brother are the fighters of the family. You are filled with fire and passion and life. Hiding doesn't seem an option for you, in the same way that fighting isn't a natural option for me. Brother, I don't want to have choose between you and our parents again. I didn't turn out too well last time and I doubt there will be any difference time. I don't want you to go. I want anyone to go. I want to dive into that portrait and pretend we are happy. Brother, I don't want to see you walk out of that frame any more than I want to see you walk out of this house. I love you. I still lover you.

Mama, I'll be nicer

I'll be so much better

I'll tell my brother

I'll do everything right

I'll be your little _boy_ forever

I'll go to sleep at night

_Brother_ don't leave… _Brother_ don't leave

Just stay a family. I'll do anything. I don't want to fall asleep to the shouts and curses. I don't want to see my brother limp up the stairs or my mother cry. Just become the family I know is there somewhere. That was there once upon a time. Please, remember the love and the laughter. Please remember that I still love you.

* * *

I don't own either "Family Portrait" by P!nk nor Harry Potter. Anything italicized is my own words to make the song more appropriate for my story. I don't think Regulus would enjoy being a little girl forever.


End file.
